My Portfolio Design: Part 2

[surfcali]

Okay, i posted my portfolio the other day, and since then i've made another design for it. Now I can't decide which one I like better. Could I get some of your opinions on them, and which one you like better? Thanks.

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/graphdesignmark2/enter.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/graphdesignmark/index.htm

[Eddy Bones]

I like the new one more; quicker loading, more interesting design. You might want to tone down the background scanlines (my eyes, they burn!).

[surfcali]

i was thinking the same thing. i'll probably reduce the contrast of the pink against the brown for the pattern.

[peter77]

Your enter page doesn't work and there appears to be an index.html as well as a index.htm so if you goto http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/graphdesignmark/ it takes you to a different page.

[surfcali]

how does my enter page not work?

[coreywhite]

I strongly prefer the original design: http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/graphic...mark/index.htm

First, and most importantly, it doesn't have an enter page. That is a very, very good thing. If you do choose to go with your new design, I would ask that, if nothing else, you lose the enter page. It serves no purpose, is annoying (and slightly confusing) to the user, and doesn't in any way showcase your best work. Also, it's very bad from the standpoint of search engine optimization (no keywords, no text).

Other than that, your new site isn't bad. It's just not great (and I do think that your original site is great). The colors (in particular the background outside your box) are a little too aggressive. The "neo-grunge" look of the page is well-done, but not unique: it looks like a band website (for pretty much any band). For me, the top banner ("Mark's Portfolio") is the standout here: it's very professional in appearance, fits the site them well, is very readable, and gets across the "graphic designer" theme in a way that the rest of the site fails to do.

In contrast, your old design is very nearly perfect in my opinion. It has a beautiful look, is easy on the eyes, and is truly unique. It screams of aesthetic sense and design talent. I honestly can't praise it enough. Moreover, its unique design and cohesive style (not sure what to call that style . . . but it's reminiscent of California, surfing, summery music, and old t-shirts) set you apart and give you a great niche to market your services to.

If you do keep the original design (as I strongly recommend), I would suggest adding a subtle rollover effect to the links to give the site a slightly more interactive feel. Other than that, it's terrific.

Keep up the good work.

[surfcali]

thanks a lot for the input. when you're starting out like me (in the sense of actually putting sites together), it's good to hear someone recognize you for your work. a lot of good advice there. based on that opinion, and somewhat the design i was leaning towards, i'll probably end up going with the original design. so yeah- thanks a bunch. later.

[Mr C]

One point, (and it's a biased point of view because I'm a coder not a designer), iFrames are not the most user friendly things. They are usually invisible to people using audio screen readers.

From a coding point of view if I was looking for a designer to do some work for me I'd be looking for someone who demonstrates the following in their portfolio.

1. Originality
2. Turn around time
3. Appreciation of WC3 standands

Number 3 probably being the most important to myself as I've wasted so many hours taking a design only to end up ripping it appart and rebuilding it myself because it wasn't compliant and broke too many rules.

Do you really need that iFrame?

[Webdmp]

Great job on the layout, its very easy to navigate. I honestly love both of them, but I would choose the orange layout over the pink. The pink layout hurts to look at.